Friday, 21 February 2014

The Seven Days Of Boot Camp ...

"Sometimes In Order To Move Forward, We Must Go Back To Where It All Began."-Mahaakshay Chakraborty.

Day One:

I am right now here in coimbatore. There isn’t wifi here or any proper mobile network coverage. Well, it is because my house is in the outskirts of the city. Beyond Thudiyalur and Pannimadai. So I won’t be able to post these mini blogs everyday. So I thought I will post them as one Mega Blog when I return to Mumbai. You ask why I am here. Well, I am here with my Coach for Boot Camp Training. Why Coimbatore of all places? Well, this is the place where I used to stay. I have spent 6 years of my life here. I have many memories from this place and Sometimes, In Order To Move Ahead, We Must Go Back To Where It All Began. And trust me my friends, Only Through Calamity Comes Progress. I know this more than anyone else. So I am going to be here till the 19th as I have to be in kolkatta on the 23rd for Bengal Fashion Week. I love it here. The peace and quiet of this place is what I need right now. I also brought my book here. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. An apt book for this place. Don’t you think? Well, my coach is here and I thank him for giving me company and My Parents for this opportunity. You won’t be believe it but many a times Me and Coach have discussed this topic. You know about going someplace, completely cut-off from the world and training like Juggernauts. Well, the Universe Works In Mysterious Ways I must say. And today, coach really pushed me to the limit. We did more than 50 Sprints and over 75mins of Cardio followed by a Gruelling Abs Workout. I got to tell you, I love it here. More than I had anticipated. And you wanna know something? Something I have never told anyone before? Well, I Have A Dream And In That Dream I Never Stop And I Never Go Back. That is how I feel now. I know I may sound crazy but this is like a dream come true for me. Being far away from loved ones and the normal life has awakened something in me. Something that was always there. A hunger and a thirst for more. For more training. For more practice. For more sacrifice. And for more War. I am a War Junkie. Always was. Always will be.

***************************************************************

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."

Day Two was more gruelling than Day One. Yesterday, we were getting used to the environment and finding the perfect gym and arranging the food. But today, all was set and everything went as planned. You see, I am a planner. I plan things way ahead and I work according to a schedule. This lifestyle as I have noticed isn’t as welcoming or heart-warming or exciting for most of the people I have met. But what to do, I am made this way and I believe that being disciplined and respecting time is the first step to success. Today, I woke up by 07:00am, way before my coach did. It felt very nice. You know, there are so many things a person can accomplish, if only he wakes up earlier. We did a gut-wrenching one hour cardio routine which included sprints, football tackles and jumps. All to improve the flexibility and the body response time. Our maids here make lovely eggs and chicken as that is the only food I am allowed to eat, so I relish my egg bhurji and masala chicken. I am loving The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari and I am very happy to do my voice practice more than three times a day, write in my diary first thing in the morning and watch a romantic film after lunch as my homework. I hardly check my phone here. I was once told by a person I love that I do nothing besides checking my phone. I am planning to break that assumption. And I make it a point to check my emails, whatsapps and twitter only twice a day. I am getting used to it too. I am here not to take a break from the world but to make myself ready for it and the only way I can do that is by dedicating every breath of my body to my training. Sure, after 8pm the soreness starts to kick in and the body starts going into sleep mode. But I am telling you it is worth it. I don’t know how the people are doing back home and honestly, I don’t even have the time to think about it. Just a while ago, when I was coming back from the gym, I was listening to Indestructible by Disturbed for the Billionth Time and as I was hearing it, a voice inside of me was making me realise how with every moment I am slipping away from the norms of reality. Slowly slowly I am becoming more of the man I always dreamed off. The man who doesn’t get affected by people or worldly possessions. A man who is only focused on one objective and dedicated to only one purpose. I am now becoming a Machine … A War Machine.

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

The body has broken. But my will hasn’t. I know it is tough but I also know it will be worth it. I once read a quote some where and the words were, “If You Are Going Through Hell, Keep Going.” These 7 days are my ultimate test. Not just to prove my mantle to the world and to the ones I love but also to myself. I am pushing the limits here. Today was only the 3rd day and my body gave up in the evening after my 75mins cardio session. I had to do abs but I told coach that I can’t. He let me rest and then we went and ate some lovely tandoori chicken. Coach had a Chicken Dosa. Ya, that was a first for me too. Imagine a Non-Veg dosa. Coach told me it was yummy. Speaking of coach, I am so glad he is here. I know alone I couldn’t had done the things I am doing now. His eye on me makes me wanna push harder and his belief in me makes me run faster and push the pace. He is very matured for a 28 year old and in our rest periods during the day we talk about women, life and everything in between. It is fun to have him around and an honour to be trained by him. I remember last july I had brought coach here to the south for the very first time and trust me, it was only because of his will that we managed to train everyday. He tells me everyday that he lives his life with one motto, “When There Is A Will, There Is A Way.” And when our intentions are true, roads appear where there were only once walls. We saw Robocop today and I loved every moment of it! Joel Kinnaman was worthy to play the lead but watching him on screen I was transfixed by the idea that even one day I will get to play a spectacular role like this also. And I have gotten used to the routine here now. There is not a moment here where I feel bored. I have so many things to do. Write my blog entries, read my book, write in my diary, do my voice practice, watch films, talk to the stars and train like a bad-ass mofo! :-) And speaking about the world I left back in mumbai, well, nothing affects me about it. I don’t miss it. I don’t miss the people or the atmosphere. Call me crazy but I believe this resilience and control of my emotions is preparing me for the grander picture of the future and what it holds for me. I guess everything happens for a reason and with each passing moment, the path in front of me is making more sense to me. :-)

*******************************************************************

"Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body."

Last night I couldn’t sleep at all. I was out by 10:30pm for the first two days but yesterday, I don’t know why but I just couldn’t sleep. My body was battered but my mind wasn’t resting. But somehow after 01:30am my sleep finally caught up with me. I thought I wouldn’t be able to get up early but for the 3rd day in a row I was up by 07:00am. By 09:00am we were out on the tracks and drenching it out like ground hog day! We had a great cardio session and then we headed for the Fun Republic mall at the outskirts of the city. The moment I entered I spotted a massage parlour and rushed for it. Luckily there was a slot available for a 45mins foot massage and I took it and I must say it was very soothing and relaxing as I dozed off in the first 5mins of the massage! Then me and coach had our staple grilled chicken and there I spotted Marry Brown. Marry Brown back in the day used to be our favourite junk food place and we used to order from there every other weekend. Seeing the marry brown outlet brought back many pleasant memories and a smile on my face. Coach also had a joyful time at the mall as he brought many cool shirts and t-shirts for himself. We were supposed to head for the gym but on Sundays every Gym in coimbatore is closed! Now can you believe that? Well, then we headed home and again I crashed for like 30mins. Woke up, read a very important chapter in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. And I came to know that one of my hamsters gave birth to two very cute baby hamsters. They are adorable by the way. We couldn’t do 75mins cardio in the evening but coach, who is always prepared made me do some free-hand drills which made me feel great. So I must say it was a god day. You know, when you only focus on one thing and one objective, everything else becomes blur to you. And this kind of focus is very important for me. Back in the day I had walls which protected me and because of my own stupidity I used to bring those walls down because I thought I should let others into my life. But people are people and they will always manage to hurt you or disappoint you or lower the bar of your expectations. Luckily for me, My Walls are still with me and this time, they are towers high and unbreakable. The more I stay with myself in this solitude, the more I realise that this is who I was born to be. Life always brings us to the place of understanding. And not just the understanding of life but of our own souls as well.

I couldn’t get up early today. The alarm did wake me up but then I slept again for the next 45mins. My body had no energy and the soreness from yesterday’s workout finally caught up with me. Luckily for me, coach saw that too and let me skip the morning’s gruelling cardio session. I had to compensate that with only 2 eggs for breakfast, instead of 3 and 100gms of chicken for lunch instead of 150. Luckily for me, the only taste escape I have is Kala Akka’s amazingly made coffee. Trust me, I have tasted coffee from all around the world but the way Akka makes it, is truly spectacular. We went to Posh Gym early today and I started my Cardio by 04:00pm and for the first time, I did a 120mins Cardio session, non-stop. I was proud that I managed to stay at my feet for 2 hours straight with no break in between. Even though the intensity of the cardio was moderate it was gruelling, especially after I crossed the 90mins mark. But I survived. Being here and just training day in and day out does take a toll on you. The mind starts playing tricks with you. And sometimes even boredom kicks in. But I am blessed to have coach here. We have bonded very well and we talk about everything under the sun. In fact, besides playing with my pets, we have nothing else to do. I didn’t read a chapter from the book today. kinda feeling bad about it. I guess it was just one of those days you know. But the good news is that I have survived and we have 2 days more to go here. These 7 days will surely change me. I know it will. That is the reason I chose to come here. Like you come to know your true strength and you also realise that people can actually survive without you and you can survive without them. And people will always think of themselves and judge you and tag you in emotional brackets if you aren’t there for them or put yourself first. So I am glad I am here. I am knowing my worth and I know that these 7 days are like the 9 circles of hell for me. Survive these 7 days, like surviving the 9 circles of hell will eventually lead me to enlightenment and to the gates of heaven. :-)

I was up again by 07:00am today. Did the morning ritual of Voice Practice and writing in my Diary. And just when I was about to get ready for Morning Cardio, it started to rain. The weather became lovely but I couldn’t do cardio. So coach decided to leave for ooty today itself instead of tomorrow. So we packed our bags, had our breakfast and left for The Monarch Hotel in ooty. We arrived at just about Lunch Time and luckily for us, a Wedding just got over in the hotel and the guests were leaving. I am happy to say that all had a great time with the Services provided by The Monarch Hotel. And I am proud of my staff here as well, as they were attending and keeping more than 2000 people happy who had come for the wedding! Lunch was grilled chicken and it was yummy. Me and coach then set off for Modern Stores where I got chocolates for everyone and where coach had a sugar overload. He really can’t resist those home-made chocolates you see. We then got some cool Adidas Jackets. All of the same colour and design and then we headed for the gym. We did a 75mins Workout session followed by a relaxing steam. Ah! The benefits of having your own 5 star hotel! He he! :-) Anyways, it was a good day and the weather was very cool too. I have many a memories from ooty as well as my childhood and early teen years were spent here. I have come a long way from enacting Santa Claus in my school. (The only kid who got to be Santa Claus twice ‘cause of my round face and rounder stomach.) As I had mentioned earlier in these blog entries, we all come back to where it all began. To either reflect or understand and to never forget. For me, this trip has been a lesson and a reminder of who I am and also where I am going. :-)

*************************************************************

"The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit."

So, the last day of training comes to an end. We travelled back from ooty today. And after snoozing for 30mins or so, I packed my bags and headed to the gym with coach. It was a good workout for me as I did 90mins of Cardio followed by Ab Exercises. We then visited our favourite Tandoori Chicken outlet, Cock-Ra-Co and had some chicken. Coach wanted to buy a pair of shoes so we then headed to the Fun Republic Mall. But the moment we reached, coach realised it was the other mall where he saw the shoes. So we went to Brooke Fields mall to find him that shoe. Upon reaching I saw an amazing Casio Gravity Defy Watch and planned to Gift Myself one. The watch is pretty amazing by the way. Coach was looking disappointed as he wasn’t able to find the perfect shoe for himself. Knowing how much he loves shoes and also knowing that he deserved a present and gift more than me for my transformation, I decided to gift him a pair of Jordan’s. Coach was over joyed and that made me very happy. We reached home by 10pm, had dinner and then had our Post-Dinner-Walk for almost 60mins where we shared our stories once again and I told them how Coimbatore was the place of many Firsts for me. I then went and met the stars as I always do when I am in Coimbatore. Thanked them from the bottom of my heart and then wished them good night and opened up my laptop right away. Tomorrow I go back to Mumbai. But nothing changes in my training. In fact, coach said, it is only going to get tougher from now on. I am looking forward to it. :-)

***************************************************************

"First, do enough training. Then believe in yourself and say: I can do it. Tomorrow is my day. And then say: the person in front of me, he is just a human being as well; he has two legs, I have two legs, that is all. That is mentally how you prepare."

I am on my way back. I’m in the flight as I am typing this. In an hour or so, the flight will land in mumbai and I will be reunited with my family. I hope they will be happy to see my transformation. I once again wanna thank coach for tagging along with me. I am who I am ONLY because of him. He has truly been a blessing for me and I pray and wish that my bond with him reminds strong forever. I guess I am having withdrawal syndromes. Till yesterday I was pretty excited that I was going back. But now, I am a little scared. It is like a soldier who is returning home. He is excited that the war is over but he is also scared of what would he do now as fighting is the only thing he knows best. I guess My War is still with me and I will carry it with me wherever I am. We are who we are you know. And no matter how hard we try to change ourselves or to fit in or be accepted by society, we will always stand out as individuals. Maybe my sub-conscious has already accepted that. I still have too. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy to see my family again. My pets who will greet me and my friends who are waiting for the stories I will share with them. But there is still a lot of fight left in me. A Hole that still needs filling. Maybe that will only be filled when the world loves, respects and adores me. Or maybe when I will be feared. Maybe it is the beast in me who still lusts for power and attention. I don’t know. But what I do know is that the war isn’t over. I survived these 7 days of Boot Camp Training only to come back stronger and maybe even hungry for more. I know I will always need a war to fight. And as I am seeing myself transform in front of the mirror, I am also seeing and feeling a transformation within me. More like a spiritual transition. One with a more clear purpose. You see, people will always be the way they are. They will assume, judge and categorise you and more than that, they will always be selfish. This is something I have learnt the hard way. They project to be nice and caring but underneath, they all are just thinking about themselves. Being alone in coimbatore and doing nothing besides training, made me think a lot and understand the people around me and the acquaintances I know. Of course, I’m not gonna take names or anything but I have somehow seen their true faces. Niceness doesn’t impress them nor giving them respect. All they appreciate is Power. Power of Status, Fame and Position. Maybe I may not be where I am today but I know one day I will be. And that day, I will know who stood beside me and who didn’t. And now, during these times of War, I know I can’t be affected by people or their attitudes towards me. I am fighting a war just like everybody else. It is just that every dog has his day. one day, My Day will come too. But in my previous Blog, if you remember, I made a Deal with Ares. To have a War that never ends. And to be honest, above love and friendship and normality, that is what I still choose. War is what completes me. The feeling of Pain and pushing the boundaries of your sanity is what gets me ticking. I guess I am weird and in a way Broken. But maybe I like it that way. You see, we all have to pay a price for our Greatness. I made a deal with Ares. I promised him that everyday I will give him a part of me in return for a war that will make me feel alive. Coming back home doesn’t change anything. It only pushes the envelope of my own capability to the onslaughts of society. As I said, we are who we are. :-)

"You can work really hard, but if you're not training in the right way you're not going to improve and get to the level that you want to."

About Me

Hi, I am Mahaakshay Chakraborty. I am an Actor. I am from Mumbai. I love Movies and everything about them. I am also learning Mixed Martial Arts as a Professional Sport and I believe in the Power of Giving. :-)